Great white sharks sighted off Jacksonville's coast

Reported by: Ilyssa Trussel
Email: itrussel@ActionNewsJax.com
Last Update: 3/04 9:56 pm

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Great Whites on the Move

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- University of North Florida Biology Professor Jim Gelsleichter pulled a frozen baby shark that he caught off the coast of Nassau County out of his freezer in his lab Thursday afternoon. It is about the size of his arm. But he says there are sharks in our waters that are much bigger than that one. Marine biologists now have proof three great white sharks are swimming in our waters.

"A good size animal can definitely create a wound that's largest enough to cause a fatal injury," he said.

In September Massachusetts biologists put tracking devices on several great whites. In mid-January, a 12-foot long shark from Cape Cod ended up 50 miles east of Jacksonville. In February, a 10-foot great white was found swimming 30 miles north of where the first one was spotted. This Monday, a third was tracked 80 miles south of the first two.

Biologists say these great whites prefer our warmer waters in the winter.

"The white sharks do appear to be moving into Florida waters to feed as well as to find temperatures more within their preferred temperature range," said Gelsleichter.

When the waters warm up in the Spring and Summer months, sharks may move back north. That activity could put local swimmers in danger.

"You'll see more people in the water during that period and ironically enough that's when the sharks are out there as well so its time to be relatively cautious."

Great whites aren't the only sharks found off our coast. Gelsleichter says locally there are 10-12 different species of sharks.

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